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Matjes Filet: From Herring Salad And Housewife Style

Matjes fillets are a real fish delicacy. They are often enjoyed pure or as a classic fish roll. But with just a few ingredients, this delicacy can be turned into a real coastal treat.

What actually is Matjes?

Matjes fillets are prepared from herrings in a special process. The approximately three to five-year-old animals are caught in the North Sea from May to July. At that time they are not yet sexually mature but have reached a high-fat content. The unique way of production, in which the pancreas remains in the fish and releases enzymes, ensures the incredibly tender matjes fillets.

Matjes looks back on more than 600 years of tradition and originally comes from Flanders, where it helped many towns along the North Sea coast to prosper due to its relatively long shelf life.

Matjes: No meat from Ash Wednesday

Lent begins and the days leading up to Ash Wednesday are traditionally celebrated in the southern latitudes of the republic with merrymaking. We northerners have little to do with that because we don’t need such pretexts to let things go properly.

But some excessive celebrations take their toll and many a fish head can be tempted to fast in the time before Easter. Also far south of the Elbe is one of the classic dishes for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the North German herring bread.

Matjes pure or flavored?

Matjes fillets are often served and eaten pure and without any “bells and whistles”. But other “flavors” have also developed into true classics. Gourmets swear by fillets marinated in sherry or red wine. In the Netherlands in particular, people like to refine matjes with a little wild garlic. The real Glückstadt Matjes is now even available in a “Winter Edition” with cinnamon and Christmas spices. The most common ingredient for herring, however, remains the simple Schrippe: herring fillets are convincing in the classic fish roll. No matter how you prefer your matjes, it should best be served cold. Traditionally, matjes fillets were often served on crushed ice.

By the way: Matjes and fresh onions only get along to a limited extent. The two should not be stored together. Matjes fillets are garnished with onions just before serving. Otherwise, the fine aroma of the matjes fillets is masked by the strong taste of the onions.

Recipe for herring salad “classic”

Ingredients for the salad

  • 300 g herring fillets
  • 250 g pickled cucumbers
  • 150 grams of onions
  • 80 grams of spring onions

Ingredients for the dressing

  • 4 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 sprigs of dill
  • Salt
  • pepper

Preparation

Drain the matjes fillets and pickled cucumbers well. Cut the matjes into diamonds and the cucumbers into cubes. Peel and dice the onions and cut the spring onions into rings. For the dressing, stir together the vinegar, lemon juice, water, and salt until the salt has dissolved. Finely chop the dill. Stir in the dill and oil, then pepper. Place all ingredients and dressing in a salad bowl. Mix gently and serve.
We recommend grainy black bread or pumpernickel for this.

Recipe for herring fillets housewife style

Ingredients

  • 8 herring fillets
  • 500 grams of potatoes
  • 100 grams of onions
  • 200 g apple, tart
  • 100 g pickled cucumbers
  • 200 g crème fraîche
  • 200 grams of sour cream
  • 60 grams of cream
  • lemon juice
  • sugar
  • Salt pepper
  • Parsely

Preparation

Mix together the crème fraîche, sour cream, and heavy cream.

Drain cucumbers and cut them into cubes. Quarter the apples and remove the core. Then cut the wedges into very thin slices. Immediately sprinkle with lemon juice. Peel the onions, first slice them, and then cut them into cubes.

Fold the cucumbers, apples, and onions into the cream sauce. Season them with sugar, salt, and pepper. Leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and cook in a pot of boiling water for 25 minutes. Drain and peel with a small knife.

Arrange herring fillets with boiled potatoes and the housewife sauce on the plate. Chop the parsley and sprinkle it over the potatoes.

Tip: You can also put the fillets directly into the housewife sauce and simply enjoy the dish as a herring salad on bread.

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Written by Micah Stanley

Hi, I'm Micah. I am a creative Expert Freelance Dietitian Nutritionist with years of experience in counseling, recipe creation, nutrition, and content writing, product development.

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